A quarter of a century ago, The Ohio Cardinal was born of a need to bring Ohio's birding community together, to share all available information about our bird life, to sharpen our enjoyment of, and expertise in, the observation and study of those birds, and to act as a permanent record of bird occurrences in the state. Today these remain the goals of our publication.
The Cardinal began as, and remains, a collaboration among Ohio birders, with hundreds sharing in each issue sightings reports, photographs of unusual birds, artwork, articles, or field notes. Each issue features a comprehensive summary of the season's observations across the state, highlighting not only the unusual but also interesting patterns discernible in the usual. Reports from the Ohio Bird Records Committee appear regularly. Rob Harlan writes a regular column "Further Afield," an informative and often wry look at field work and birding for fun, bird records, and the history of Ohio ornithology. A timely compilation of all the state's Christmas Bird Count results appears yearly. Articles are featured in every issue, and treat topics such as birding locales and techniques, field identification issues, the history and status of selected Ohio species, first state records, counts and surveys, trends in the abundance and distribution of our birds, and many others. Short notes from observers around the state describe noteworthy events, behaviors, numbers, and observations. New books and other sources of information to students of Ohio bird life are announced and reviewed. We take pride in regular and timely publication, with each issue mailed about two to three months after the end of the season treated.
